Bedbugs On The Rise In The Borderland

KFox 14 (TX)Tuesday, May 3, 2011

EL PASO, Texas -- Bedbugs problems are on the rise
in the Borderland, according to local pest control experts.

Omar Martinez, branch manager of Truly Nolen Pest Control
Termites in El Paso, said he's seen a 30 to 40 percent increase in
calls asking the company to respond to bedbug problems within the
last few months.

Martinez said the big problem is that as the weather warms, more
and more people in the Borderland are traveling. Also, as many
people travel over the border, or in from locations all over the
country to work at Fort Bliss, they are bringing bugs with them. In
some key locations, such as the East Coast, bedbugs are a huge
problem. Martinez said the parasites will latch onto anything, such
as clothing and bags, and come home with you.

According to Martinez, bedbugs are a nationwide problem because
they produce at extremely high rates. He said one bedbug can lay up
to eight eggs per day, laying over 300 eggs per year. Martinez said
bedbugs can affect even the cleanest house.

But how do you know if you have a problem? Martinez has a
checklist:

1: Check your mattress for blood stains. Since
this is what bedbugs feed off of, you'll see the evidence all over
the mattress and possibly the nearby wall.
2: Sniff. Bedbugs emit a musky odor.
3: Examine yourself for welts You could see
several bites, often in a series of three anywhere on your
body.

If you know you have a problem, Martinez said over-the-counter
sprays are only a temporary fix, sometimes working only as little
as one hour. Often times, the spray will kill the few bedbugs in
sight, but sends the rest of them scattering and hiding. Sometimes
the only option is to hire a professional pest control company. In
the Borderland area, the average cost can range between $300 and
$3,000.

But when is your mattress beyond saving? Martinez said it will
be covered in dry blood. He said that is something that simply
cannot be salvaged, because by that time, the bedbug situation has
ruined your mattress beyond cleaning.